Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-03-14

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all can tell you is that have been in
wretched frame of mind ever since !
saw You last, and that your ugly old
face was as welcome-as welcome-as
steamer chair to q drowning person
there!"
bent formally enough over the little
fragment of hand stiff in its glove, and
repressed sigh. Ugly! addressed
queer! And l, too, dreamed dreams
which this marvel of youth and beauty
never so much as suspected.
81 will go-and with your party-and
you must give me one dance in the hall
l cried with all reasonable gayety. And
go did.
1t was like all other balls of the kind.
There were the young women whom
their own families "boom" as beauties,
aad those whom society at large has a
convention to call beauties. There were
those whom the reporters for some oc.
cult reason always push forward in
the newspaper reports, and the
bellies from Boston who are not
recognized as such in New York.
There were the English people
whom all other English say are con.
sidsred quite second.rate in London.
There was the big black crowd of mon,
the blase and the timid, blocking stu.
pidly the doorways, and there was that
quick.eyed, quick. witted army of youths
and men the size of youths, the reason
for whose existence is mystery.
Happy gnomes! who would begrudge
you your unblushiag assurance, your
blithe frivolty?
Well, would for one, whenever you
sail eff in dance with woman who
looks as if she were made for great
things, but whose mouth, full of pearls,
never by any chance lets drop pearl
l'of speech, a woman who looks built to
do good to others, but whose education
by foolish parents, or whose ingrained
nature, never leaves her room to think
with pure unsel6shness of any one but
her lovely self But hush, that is trea.
son and heresy!
Talking staidly to dowagers on the
dais and watching the atmosphere
thicken with dust and perfumes and the
fine emanstions from whirling robes, l
soon placed Jack, and recognized in him
stalwart young fellow who was too
poor to belong to the gi6dy bout, but
too proud not to be gentleman.
/ saw the whole tragedy; how he
would steel Saturday and Sunday from
the sweltering town only to fud Ma
rions time ''taken" by the comparative.
ly rich Harry during all his stay; how
he became madly in love and madly
jealous; how he fumed to Marion and
threatened to beat Harry as sound.
ly as the carpet of which he was
knight; how Marion had to resent his
foolish talk, how they quarreled, made
it up. and quarreled TO make it up
heartily no more.
He followed her with his eyes, devour.
ing the figure of one be considered lost,
yet purposely stood so that she could
not see him. To do her justice she was
on the lookout for him, and more than
once stood irresolute, beautiful statue
of hesitation, mastering the black coats
with the hope that he might shoulder
his big way through the starvellings
at the door. He saw it, too, con-
found him And it gave him, l
really believe, a mean sort of pleas.
ure. Once or twice she waved a
favor in my direction, but I bowed q
negative aud an apology. Then l saw
Jack edge round 20 the head of the cotil.
lion and knew he meant to surprise her
with favor. He was not in the dance,
but he had the right by courtesy to an
extra turn which any leader of the Co
tillion who is gentleman at heart is
glad to recognize in men who have no
/ lo hn,,f 10 to1 Co
from the rack, now almost denuded of
it's brilliant burden, when Harry came
up. Harry had no partner. since the
weight of cares on the shoulders of a
leader is too great to make it possible for
him to do his work thoroughly and at
tend to companion.
Hurry arrested his arm, and I saw
Jack turn away with black look that
ought to have set Harry thinking. Jack
strobe over to Marion. saw her rise, a
little frightened, little bewildered, and
off they went entirely alone, just as
Harry was about to start new figure
with other couples. He ran up to them
to ask them to be seated, but Jack would
not hear. Though his partner tried to
stop, he carried her on. could see the
wins on his temples swell, and he
danced so as to make Harry skip sud.
denly to one side in order to avoid q
collision. Marion was so deadly pale
that sprang up and came to the edge
of the dancing area in alarm. The train
of her. dress slipped from her hand, and
before Jack knew it the two were
bound together by its folds in such
a way that none but the most expert
dancer could have saved them. Alas,
Jack, if no novice, was more than out Of
practice; half turn more, and both
fell, luckily near the seated couples,
but so that Marion struck heavily on
the floor and chair. Jack was still more
helpless, for his head came thud against
another chair and he lay still.
looked to see Harry rush forward to
pick Marion up. hut he seemed reader
to run away. He was furious at this
blemish on his cotillion. l expected to
hear Marion call his name or that OF
Jack, for in moments OF fright and dan.
ger is it not natural that affection should
reveal itself! Instead of that it was my
name Marion called, and, obedient to
the summons, she was in my arms and
hurried into the ladies dressing room
before half the room knew that ANYBODY
had been hurt. In the hustle incident
on bringing Jack to his senses the fall oi
Marion was unnoticed.
went the other day to Marions wed
ding, rather giddy in mind, but hope
always as philosopher. After all
what difference does it make whether
the woman for whom you secretly
cherished dreams as baseless as tht
clouds, marries Jack or marries Harry
If it is Jack, she gets big, good
looking, manly, bulldog SORT of fellow
who will never give. her luxury, but
will be faithful and steadily loving. II
she marries Harry, she will have goot
share and perhaps large share oi
luxury, few children. and a certain
recognition as Q minor light in the
fashionable world. 1 could not helr
smiling underneath MY face to remem
Der Harry's look few days after tina,